Holder for mobile target

ABSTRACT

A mobile practice target comprises a pattern of tracks which enables a carriage to be moved at different speeds and in opposite directions, in a random manner. A target is mounted in the carriage to simulate the movement of a wild animal, such as a rabbit. When a gunshot strikes the target, it is released to simulate the striking of the animal.

United States Patent 91 Renault [111 3,744,796 July 10, 1973 HOLDER FORMOBILE TARGET [76] Inventor: Norbert Emmanuel Renault, Rue des Princes,Combourg, France [22] Filed: Mar. 23, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 237,282

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 30, 1971 France 7112006 52U.S.Cl. ..27s 10s.2,273/1o2.1c 51 lm. Cl ..F4lj9/02 5s FieldotSearch273/1021 R, 102.10,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,385,724 9/1945 Olson273/l02.l C

2,503,877 4/1950 Kuemmerlein 273/102.l C 2,510,380 6/l950 Clifford273/l05.2 2,968,337

l/l96l Bartlett 272/55 Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle AssistantExaminer-Marvin Siskind Attorney Irwin C. Alter, .I Warren Whitesel etal.

[57] ABSTRACT A mobile practice target comprises a pattern of trackswhich enables a carriage to be moved at different speeds and in oppositedirections, in a random manner. A target is mounted in the carriage tosimulate the movement of a wild animal, such as a rabbit. When a gunshotstrikes the target, it is released to simulate the striking of theanimal.

7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures HOLDER FOR MOBILE TARGET The presentinvention relates to a holder for mobile target designed for shootingpractice and particularly for rabbit target shooting practice withenvironmental conditions as similar as possible to those occuring whenactually shooting rabbit.

In known shooting simulation systems such as the pigeon shooting, thetarget representing the pigeon is tossed by a ball-trap up and describesin the air a substantially parabolic trajectory. Parabola parameters arefully determined by the initial velocity applied to the target from theball-trap and by the ball-trap elevation angle. During the flight, it istherefore no longer possible to change the trajectory curve. To avoidthat drawback, the ball-trap is given several possible initial conditions so as to offer numerous trajectories, trajectory selection beingperformed just before the target release. Obviously, however, thegreater the possible trajectory number is, the more expensive theballtrap and control thereof are, to such a point that pigeon shootingis still considered as a sport of luxury. Lastly, shootings being madeupward, it is necessary to provide, for security purposes, an adequateclearance behind targets with the result that a pigeon ball-trap may beinstalled only in rather remote places, unless protective devices areadded thereto which still increases costs.

A purpose of the present invention is to provide a shooting system whichrecalls at best certain hunting conditions, which is not too expensiveand which may be installed without danger in any field, for exampleabout hundred meters long and about 50 meters wide, or even smaller. Thesimulated hunting is the rabbit hunting; thus shootings are towardground. A target representing a rabbit may be moved along a pattern madeof a runway, but target speed may be controlled at any time and in anypoint of the runway. The target may be moved on the runway in bothdirections and turned back at any time.

According to a feature of the present invention, there is provided atarget, having substantially an actual size, mounted on a holder securedto a carriage, the said holder comprising a plate on which mounted are afront spring and a rear spring, each of the said springs having a curvedbranch with a point-shaped end, and latching means, the target shown tothe shooter being supported by the said spring points and kept in thatposition by the latching means, and a hit to the target triggering thelatching means so that the said spring points release the target.

According to another feature of the present invention, the rear springis fixed while the front spring is pivotably mounted on the plate, thesecond end of the pivotable front spring being engaged with a restintegral with the target and forming together with the said rest thesaid latching means, the said rest being moved as a result of a hit tothe target so as to release the pivitable front spring, the point ofwhich ceases to support the target which is ejected forwards due to therear spring force.

According to another feature of the invention, the said front and rearsprings are fixed and a third spring is mounted between the plate andthe target and pushes the target upwards, the said latching meanscomprising the front spring point having a bond with the target weakerthan the bond between the rear spring point and the target so as to betypically released the first when the target is subject to a hit and toenable the target to jump forwardly due to the combined action of therear spring and the third spring.

According to another feature of the invention, the said holdercomprises, in addition to the plate, an axis supporting the said plateand which secures the holder to the carriage, the said axis beingrotatable when operated by turning means secured to the carriage.

According to another feature of this invention, turning means control iscoupled to carriage direction reversing means control so that anycarriage direction reversal immediately results in turning the target.

According to another feature of the invention, the target turning meanscomprises an electromagnet and helical guides, the said axis includingan electromagnetic portion constituting the electromagnet plunger andbeing provided with two pins engaged in the helical guides so that, theelectromagnet being not operated, the axis due to a return force rotatesdown guided by its pins sliding on the helical guides up to positioningin bottom condition the target parallel to the carriage runwaydirection, and that, the electromagnet being operated, the plungerdrives up the axis which rotates in the helical guides up to positioningin top condition the target also parallel to the carriage runwaydirection, but reversely.

According to another feature of the invention, the carriage is moved bya reversible DC electric motor secured to the carriage, the runway railsserving to supply DC current, a voltage polarity change applied to thesaid rails resulting in reversing the carriage direction, and one of theelectromagnet terminal being directly connected to one of the railswhile the second electromagnet terminal is connected to the second railvia a diode so that, for one polarity, the electromagnet is operated andthat, for the other polarity, the electromagnet is not operated.

According to another feature of the invention, the runway is at a lowerlevel than the ground so as to let only the target visible to theshooter side.

Other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention willappear more clearly from the following description of embodiments, thesaid description being made in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a shcematic view of the assembly of a target, a holder and acarriage, according to this invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a holder according to this invention,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rest used as latching means inthe holder shown in the FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of direction reversing means used inthe holder shown in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of another holder according to thisinvention.

FIG. 1 shows a rabbit-shaped target 1 carried by a holder 2 above acarriage 3 to which holder 2 is secured to. The carriage 3 is movable onrails 4 in lower level trench 5, either dug in ground 6 or natural. Theheight of holder 2 is such that, in areas where shooting is foreseen,target 1 appears at the ground level to the shooter, that is to peoplewho sees target 1 in the direction of arrow F. Reversely, in otherareas, the target may entirely disappear from shooter sight.

Carriage 3 may be moved by any adequate device. However, if the railpattern or runway 4 includes curves, which is desirable for bettersimulating the rabbit hunting, it may be provided a carriage moved withan initial speed, then moved by accumulated motional energy, orpreferably, if direction reversing possibilities are provided, aself-propelled carriage. In this respect, a reversible conventional orlinear, DC or AC electric motor may be provided for. In the following,for simplicity, assumption will be made that carriage 3 is moved by a DCelectric motor, two of the wheels of carriage 3 being also used forpassing current from rails 4. While, in the FIG. 1, rails 4 are bothrepresented in horizontal plane, obviously they may also be in avertical plane when derailments, possibly caused by centrifugal effectin curves, should be avoided.

To achieve a very realistic simulation of rabbit moves, as the motorenable carriage move direction to be reversed, holder 2 comprisesrotatable means which returns target 1 each time carriage move isreversed so that target 1 always runs with head in front. Assumptionwill be made that rails 4 are connected to a DC power supply source bymeans of a switch able to switch polarities applied to rails 4.

FIG. 2 shows a detailed embodiment of holder 2 and returning meansthereof, according to this invention. Holder 2 comprises three parts: afixed rear spring 7, which is illustrated as a coil-spring, but whichmay be of any type of spring applying a force along arrow F1 to the rearof target 1; a front spring pivotally mounted around an axis 9 and ableto apply to target 1 a force along arrow F2 by means of its pointed end10 while its end 1 1 is resting against a rest area 12, as shown in FIG.3, integral with target 1; a plate 13, onto which secured are axis 9 andspring 7, carried by a vertical axis 14. Returning means comprise theelectromagnet coil with a plunger and the helical guide 16, axis 14passing through coil 15 and guide 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, point 10 of spring 8 is engaged in a small recess 17of a flat surface 18 integral with target I. Free end of spring 7 isalso ended by a point which is similarly engaged in a recess of the rearflat surface of target I. If assumption is made that end 11 of 8 is heldfixed, target 1 is being elastically hanged between its two flatsurfaces and forces applied thereto by springs 7 and 8 are sufficientfor holding target 1 even in curves, because assuming that the target ismade of plastic material or of any other light material, target inertiais low. Connection of 11 with 8 also avoids any roll of l in curves.

It will be now described what occurs when target 1 is reached by afowling-piece shot, for example. Target 1, having a very low inertia,will be horizontally pushed back in the direction of arrow F and, due toflexibility of springs 7 and 8, will remain hung up by them as long asconnection between end 11 of 8 and rest 12 of l is not released. Such aconnection will be explained with more details hereafter in conjunctionwith FIG. 3. Then spring 8 pivots and no longer pushed onto 18 whileforce of 7 is still applied. The rabbit is forwardly ejected down whichbetter simulates the reality when the actual hit rabbit rolls on theground. In order to bring target 1, when fallen, back to the startingpoint thereof, a wire 19 binds target I to plate 13. Of course, ifdirection of both target 1 and plate 13 has been reversed, the processis the same.

FIG. 3 shows end 11 of spring 8 engaged in concave rest surface 12 of astud, for example projecting out of the envelope of target 1. If the hittarget is moved in the direction of arrow F, end 11 is released from 12.Obviously, any other releasable latching means may be also used.

Axis 14 passes through coil 15 and, below 15, includes anelectromagnetic portion 20, as shown in FIG. 4. Lastly, lower end of 14carries pins 21, FIG. 4, which may slide in helical ramps of guide 16.Ramps 22, of which one is shown in FIG. 2 and symbolized in FIG. 4,cause axis 14 to rotate when it is lifted up or down. Lifting up of axis14 is caused by energization of coil 15 which makes plunger 20 up. Ifcurrent flowing through 15 is suppressed, a return force causes axis 14to fall down. Such a return force may be provided by the holder weightalone or, when such a weight is not enough, by a return spring, notshown, pulling holder 2 downward. The length of helical ramps 22 is suchthat the angle difference is of between bottom and top positions of axis14. As coil 15 operates inherently as a digital device, there is nointermediate position.

Electric power supply circuit for coil 14, of which two leads areschematically shown in 23, is connected to power supply of the motor ofcarriage 3 in such a manner that, in one motor power supply direction,the current passes through coil 14 while, in the other motor powersupply direction, no current passes through it. In this case, forblocking the current a diode may be provided on one of the leads 23 witha suitable bias direction.

FIG. 5 shows a modification of the holder shown in FIG. 2. On plate 13mounted are a fixed rear spring 7, a fixed front spring 24 and a thirdfixed spring 25. Spring 24 applies, as spring 8, a force to 18 along F2.The third spring 25 tends to lift target 1 up along arrow F3 andconstitutes a component of latching means precluding the target fromrolling. The rest of the latching means comprises the point of 24 andthe flat surface 18 between which the bond is weaker than between thepoint of 7 and rear flat surface 18 of 1. Thus, when the target is hit,bond 24-18 is the first released and, under action of springs 7 and 25,the target jumps forward to better simulate the manner as a hit rabbitrolls on the ground.

Also, as a modification, target 1 is bound by means of a flexible wire28 to the end of a stick 29 secured to tha carriage by its bottom end.Stick 29, shown in profile in FIG. 5, is purposed for holding the fallenrabbit away from the carriage and so avoiding any possible jamming ofthe target hauled behind carriage 3.

It is also to be noted that DC power supply of rails 4 may also beachieved through a rheostat for varying carriage speed and improvingmovement simulation.

As shown in FIG. 1, provisions are made for protecting carriage 3 andholder 2 against gun-shots, shooted in the direction of arrow F, by amaterial strip stopping shots and vertically arranged in the right sideof the bank, a strip cross-section appearing in 30. However, if plate 13or holding springs were damaged, plate 13 could removed by providing aninterlocking connection between 13 and axis 14.

While the present invention has been hereabove described in relationwith specific embodiments, it must be understood that the saiddescription has only been made by way of example and is not a limitationon the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A holder for a mobile target designed for shooting practicecomprising:

a. a movable carrier,

b. a holder means for mounting said targer on said movable carrier,

0. said holder further including a plate on which front and rear springsare mounted,

d. each of springs having a curved branch with a sharp point at the endthereof,

e. said sharp pointed ends engaging opposite sides of said target forbiasingly holding and supporting said target in a position facing aperson who is shooting at the target,

f. latch means for holding said springs in a biased equilibruim positionwhich presents said target to the shooter,

g. and said latch means being responsive to a gunshot hit upon thetarget disturbing said equilibrium and enabling said springs to releasesaid target.

2. A holder for a mobile target according to the claim 1 wherein saidrear spring is fixed and said front spring is pivotally mounted on thesaid plate, and a second end of the pivoting front spring engaging arest integral with the target, said second end and said rest cooperatingto form said latch means, the said rest being moved away from saidspring responsive to a gunshot hitting the target so as to release thepivoting front spring, the point of which thereupon ceases to supportthe target which is ejected due to the rear spring force.

3. A holder for a mobile target according to the claim 1 wherein saidfront and rear springs are fixed, and means comprising a third springmounted between said plate and the target for pushing the target upward,said latch means comprising the front spring point having a bond withthe target which is weaker than the bond between the rear spring pointand the target so that said target is typically released from the firstspring when the target is hit, said target jumping forward responsive tothe combined action of the rear spring and the third spring.

4. A holder for a mobile target according to the claim 1 wherein saidholder comprises, in addition to the plate, an axis supporting saidplate for securing the holder to the carriage and turning means securedto the carriage for rotating said axis.

5. A holder for a mobile target according to the claim 4 and means forcontrolling said turning means, said control means being coupled to thecarriage for immediately turning the target responsive to reversing thedirection of carriage travel.

6. A holder for a mobile target according to the claim 5 wherein thetarget turning means comprises an electromagnet and helical guide ways,the said axis including an electromagnetic plunger having two pinsengaged in the helical guides, and return means operative when saidelectromagnetic means is not energized for moving said pins in saidguide ways to position the target parallel to the direction of saidcarriage movement, and means responsive to energization and operation ofthe electromagnet means for lifting the axis which rotates the pins inthe helical guide ways to position the target parallel to the carriagemovement in a reverse direction.

7. A holder for a mobile target according to the claim 6, and meanscomprising a reversible DC electric motor for moving said carriage,means including runway rails for said carriage to move over, said railsserving to supply DC current to said motor, means for reversing thevoltage polarity applied to the said rails for reversing the directionof carriage movement, one of the electromagnet terminals being directlyconnected to one of the two rails and a second electromagnet terminalbeing connected to the second rail via a diode so that, for onepolarity, the electromagnet is energized and that, for the reversepolarity, the electromagnet is not energized.

1. A holder for a mobile target designed for shooting practicecomprising: a. a movable carrier, b. a holder means for mounting saidtarget on said movable carrier, c. said holder further including a plateon which front and rear springs are mounted, d. each of said springshaving a curved branch with a sharp point at the end thereof, e. saidsharp pointed ends engaging opposite sides of said target for biasinglyholding and supporting said target in a position facing a person who isshooting at the target, f. latch means for holding said springs in abiased equilibruim position which presents said target to the shooter,g. and said latch means being responsive to a gunshot hit upon thetarget disturbing said equilibrium and enabling said springs to releasesaid target.
 2. A holder for a mobile target according to the claim 1wherein said rear spring is fixed and said front spring is pivotallymounted on the said plate, and a second end of the pivoting front springengaging a rest integral with the target, said second end and said restcooperating to form said latch means, the said rest being moved awayfrom said spring responsive to a gunshot hitting the target so as torelease the pivoting front spring, the point of which thereupon ceasesto support the target which is ejected due to the rear spring fOrce. 3.A holder for a mobile target according to the claim 1 wherein said frontand rear springs are fixed, and means comprising a third spring mountedbetween said plate and the target for pushing the target upward, saidlatch means comprising the front spring point having a bond with thetarget which is weaker than the bond between the rear spring point andthe target so that said target is typically released from the firstspring when the target is hit, said target jumping forward responsive tothe combined action of the rear spring and the third spring.
 4. A holderfor a mobile target according to the claim 1 wherein said holdercomprises, in addition to the plate, an axis supporting said plate forsecuring the holder to the carriage and turning means secured to thecarriage for rotating said axis.
 5. A holder for a mobile targetaccording to the claim 4 and means for controlling said turning means,said control means being coupled to the carriage for immediately turningthe target responsive to reversing the direction of carriage travel. 6.A holder for a mobile target according to the claim 5 wherein the targetturning means comprises an electromagnet and helical guide ways, thesaid axis including an electromagnetic plunger having two pins engagedin the helical guides, and return means operative when saidelectromagnetic means is not energized for moving said pins in saidguide ways to position the target parallel to the direction of saidcarriage movement, and means responsive to energization and operation ofthe electromagnet means for lifting the axis which rotates the pins inthe helical guide ways to position the target parallel to the carriagemovement in a reverse direction.
 7. A holder for a mobile targetaccording to the claim 6, and means comprising a reversible DC electricmotor for moving said carriage, means including runway rails for saidcarriage to move over, said rails serving to supply DC current to saidmotor, means for reversing the voltage polarity applied to the saidrails for reversing the direction of carriage movement, one of theelectromagnet terminals being directly connected to one of the two railsand a second electromagnet terminal being connected to the second railvia a diode so that, for one polarity, the electromagnet is energizedand that, for the reverse polarity, the electromagnet is not energized.